HEARD ON THE STREET: 11.3.16

MONTPELIER — City Clerk John Odum announced that his office will again be open for early voting on Saturday, Nov. 5, for four hours (from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) to accommodate residents who would like to cast their November 8 general election ballots prior to next Tuesday’s election day.

Early voting numbers suggest a record-breaking turnout for next Tuesday’s general election. The Odum encourages citizens to take advantage of early voting opportunities to avoid lines on election day.

If the Saturday hours are inconvenient for some voters who would like to take advantage of early voting, ballots can also be cast at the City Clerk’s office during regular business hours up until election day (the office’s regular hours are 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday).

Election day polls open at 7 a.m. at City Hall, and close statewide at 7 p.m.

Butcher/Deli/Bar To Open On Barre Street

MONTPELIER — “Beau” is the name of a new butcher shop, delicatessen and bar that may open as soon as early December at 207 Barre Street in Montpelier, the former location of Salt restaurant, and more recently, Hel’s Kitchen. The site has been undergoing renovations for the past couple of months.

The two owners of Beau are Jules Guillmette, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and Crystal Maderia, chef-owner of Kismet, a popular State Street restaurant that originally opened 10 years ago in the same Barre Street space. Kismet will continue operating at its existing location.

Maderia said that Beau, like Kismet, will feature locally-sourced meats, vegetables and cheeses. The website for Beau states it will be “a tasteful, inspiring space for people to eat and drink. It’s bold. It’s beautiful. It’s a place to buy delicious prepared foods, nutrient dense broths and offers Montpelier’s first authentic butcher service.”

Draft Zoning to be Subject of Public Hearing Dec. 12

MONTPELIER — After many years of working on a complete overhaul of the city’s zoning, the Montpelier Planning Commission has voted out a new draft that will be the subject of a public hearing on Monday, Dec. 12. The time has not yet been set.

Planning Director Mike Miller said the final changes to the proposed zoning made by the commission are being incorporated into a written document by zoning consultant Brandy Saxton and should be finished in a week or so. Following the public hearing, the commission may or may not make additional changes to the draft zoning, and will then send a final draft to the city council, Miller said.

The council will hold at least two public hearings of its own on the proposal. Miller has been working on the zoning with the planning commission ever since he became planning director two and a half years ago, but said he thought the commission had been wrestling with the topic ever since the 2010 Master Plan was adopted. Some aspects of the zoning proposal have proven controversial and several changes have been made since the commission’s last public hearing, including some alterations suggested by the city council. Miller said he understands the city’s historic preservation commission is still unhappy with aspects of the draft. The Bridge will include a full explanation of the complex proposal in our next issue.

Flooding, Sewage Damages Food Shelf, Benefit Shop

MONTPELIER — In the late evening of Aug. 16 and early morning Aug. 17, sewage backed up at the Trinity Methodist Church in Montpelier, flooding the basement where the Just Basics Food Shelf and The Benefit Shop are located. Even though sewage only flooded a couple inches, much was destroyed because the porous walls and other materials wicked moisture up. A professional cleaning service was hired to remove everything necessary, which included flooring, walls (up two feet high), shelving and a freezer. The plumbing fixtures in both bathrooms also had to be replaced. Food that was refrigerated and frozen was distributed.

Since then, the offerings of the Food Shelf have been much depleted. The Church has generously provided tables in their Fellowship Hall for the Food Shelf to display some of their offerings. Commodities in the basement can be accessed by staff. While the staff and volunteers of Just Basics are doing their best to offer the much needed service (on the first floor) without the physical infrastructure of their former location, there are many more limits. Jaime Bedard, executive director of Just Basics estimates they are able to provide as much as two thirds of their former services if recipients ask for things on the basement levels.

This service is critical as we are going into winter, a time for great need.

Development Corp. Members Named

MONTPELIER — Recent appointments to the newly formed Montpelier Corporation are as follows: Elinor Bacon, Tim Heney, Sarah Jarvis, Harrison Kahn, Bill Kaplan, Robert Kasow, Cheryl LaFrance, Michael Nobles and Steve Ribolini. The group is in place to stimulate local economic development.

The show will be held on Thurs., Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m. at the Montpelier City Hall Arts Center located at 39 Main St. All tickets are $25. For tickets and more information call 229-0492 or visit lostnationtheater.org.